(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for processing silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material and more particularly to a method for processing such material, which makes it possible to prevent the processed light-sensitive material from causing magenta stains over the lapse of time.
(2) Prior Art
In the processing of silver halide color photographic light-sensitive materials, it is important to simplify, speed up and stabilize the processing while insuring adequate environmental protection. Accordingly, various studies regarding this subject have been conducted.
Particularly, for the purposes of saving the natural resources, lowering the cost and ensuring the environmental protection, methods for reducing the amount of replenishers for these processes are highly practical and, for this reason, many attempts have been directed to the development of such methods. However, there have been various problems encountered during the attempts to reduce the amount of each replenisher. Particularly, attempts to reduce the amounts of the bleach-fixing solution has resulted in an increase in the amount of color developer which is carried over by the processed light-sensitive material from the bath preceding the bleach-fixing bath. This, in turn, leads to the increase in magenta stains of the processed light-sensitive material over the lapse of time after processing.
In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed that a magenta coupler having high light fastness is used. Examples of such magenta couplers include those disclosed in Japanese Patent Un-examined Publication (hereunder referred to as "J.P. KOKAI") Nos. 59-162548, 60-43659, 59-171956, 60-172982 and 60-33552 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,432; and couplers disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication for Opposition Purpose (hereinafter referred to as "J.P. KOKOKU") No. 53-34044, J.P. KOKAI Nos. 55-62454 and 57-35858. However, the foregoing problem cannot be solved even if such a magenta coupler is used.
Under such circumstances, it has been proposed to adopt conventional discoloration inhibiting techniques or stain inhibiting techniques in the processing of the light-sensitive materials and as a result various techniques have been reported. Specific examples of the discoloration inhibiting techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,360,290; 2,418,613; 2,675,314 and 2,701,197; U.K. Pat. No. 1,363,921 and J.P. KOKAI No. 58-24141 in which hydroquinone derivatives are used; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,457,079 and 3,069,262 in which gallic acid derivatives are employed; U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,765 and J.P. KOKOKU No. 49-20977 in which p-alkoxyphenols are used; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,432,300 and 3,573,050 and J.P. KOKAI Nos. 52-35633 and 52-147434 in which p-oxyphenol derivatives are used; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,455 which discloses the use of bisphenols. Specific examples of the stain inhibiting techniques are disclosed in J.P. KOKAI Nos. 50-57223 and 56-85747 and However, these techniques do not show sufficient effects.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,508 and J.P. KOKAI No. 50-140128 propose the use of ammonium ions as cations in the bleach-fixing solution to enhance the desilvering properties thereof. J.P. KOKAI No. 55-144241 also discloses that the bleach-fixing solution can be concentrated by using ammonium ion as a cation. However, these patents disclose neither the reduction of the replenisher for the bleach-fixing solution nor the stains due to magenta couplers used.